Keep image in mind on the job

Q Looking back, I got off on the wrong foot in my last job. I'm starting a new position next week and will try hard to set the right tone immediately. One thing I've learned: It's a mistake to become too quickly associated with a particular group before you size up who's who in office politics. Other hot spots? — C.L.

A Keep in mind your image and how carefully you “manage up,” a term that means “help me help you, boss.” A few suggestions:

Approach all assignments with a show of willingness. When you finish your work and your inbox is empty, never rest on your laurels; ask your supervisor for your next assignment. Don't continually check your smartphone on the job; your employer is not paying you to keep in touch with pals or shop for bargains. Offer to assist co-workers if you have time on your hands, but only after checking with your supervisor. Try to arrive early or stay late to demonstrate that you're committed to the job.

Keep your supervisor in the loop with emails early and late in the day, a subtle reminder of your long hours. Seek periodic feedback on your work performance. Couch suggestions in the thoughtful-question format (“Do you think it would be a good idea to ...?”). Keep your boss informed about the status of your projects. Ask your boss to describe the most valuable worker in your department and emulate that performance example.

You've already tumbled to the folly of choosing up sides too early and not steering clear of the gripers and slackers.

Q Recently divorced, I want an extreme makeover in my life, including my career. I've been working in medical technology on the East Coast, but I want to move to a western state and do something else — maybe become a process server. — K.V.H.

A Why not give yourself a cooling-off period of six months or so? Teaming relocation with repotting can be extremely stressful. A transition is smoother when you make one of these changes at a time.

After a period of reflection, if you still want to trade in a job with a fixed location and limited people contact for one with many places and faces, remember that test tubes don't talk back if they don't like being contacted. What made you think of becoming a process server? Was it a chance remark by an acquaintance, or serious researching? Checking facts matters.

Q I'm thinking about dropping out of college to work for a couple of years. How does the job market for tech workers look this year? Good? Soft? What? — T.I.

A A new survey by Dice.com, an established, specialized information technology job website, suggests that while there appears to be some softening of IT job demand, the “intense competition for tech workers that has marked the last two years will continue in 2013.”

I've seen no other surveys that contradict the Dice analysis.

Q In an interview recently I couldn't get a word in because the interviewer monopolized the conversation. Nor did I get a job offer. What can I do if this happens to me again? — M.M.K.

A When a TV interviewer is dealing with a nonstop talker and the interviewee takes a breath — every 30 to 60 seconds — the reporter breaks in and redirects the conversation. Do the same thing: “I agree with you. I had a similar experience ...” and then make your point. If you don't break in — to agree flatters the interviewer — the nonstop interviewer will assume the meeting is over when he or she stops talking and shoo you out the door.

Email career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at jlk@sunfeatures.com; use “Reader Question” for subject line. Or mail her at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007.